Collide
by RinVeil
Summary: When team RWBY suffers a tragedy, they see the true danger of being a Huntress. And when the tragedies of the present collide with those of the past, will it rip them apart or bring them closer together? And will they be strong enough to save one of their teammates from falling into the darkness, and save one from death?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone. I had this idea for a story. It's been a while since I wrote one of these, I hope everyone likes it.**

 **This story takes place right after the end of volume 2. There will be some intense moments with a bit of violence.**

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 **Blake's POV**

 _The echo of screams flow through an open window, sailing on the soft summer breeze. I've never heard screams like this before. Something about them terrifies me to my core. I cover my ears, but it doesn't keep the sound out. It only warps it, making it imposable to tell where the chaos is coming from. And the smell. Oh god, the smell is worse than the sound._

 _The scent of blood and fire forces its way into my nose, and the bitter taste of rot and death lingers in my mouth making me gag. My face is wet with tears. No, not tears, blood. Their blood. I look down and see them, their hands reach for me even after death. I scream._

I sit up and gasp for air. I feel someone grabbing my arm and swing at them wildly.

"Easy Blake, it's me!" I look at the person grabbing my arm, my eyes finally come into focus, and I realize it's Yang. I look around me, I'm back in our room at Beacon. I'm not surrounded by death and destruction, though I can still smell the scent of smoke. My eyes settle back on Yang. She's kneeling next to me on my bed, concern written all over her face.

"What… What's going on?" I ask Yang, my voice shakes.

"You were having a nightmare. Looks like it was a pretty bad one." she says. I glace over at the clock, it's three in the morning. I instantly feel bad for having woken up Yang. I look over at Ruby and Weiss, they're both still sound asleep in their beds. "Don't worry, you didn't wake them up. The only reason I heard you is because my bed is literally right on top of yours."

"I'm sorry." I say. I try to catch my breath and still my shaking hands.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for." she says. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I say. I want her to go away. I know how weak I look right now. I hate it when people see me like this.

"If your fine, then why are you crying?" she asks. I raise an unsteady hand to my face and find that my cheeks are soaked with tears. Just like in my dream. Except it wasn't tears in my dream, it was blood. I move passed Yang and slide out of bed, drying my face as I go. "Where are you going?" she whispers, so as not to wake up our teammates.

"A walk." I say. "I need some air." She follow and stops me before I can exit the room.

"It's three in the morning, and less than twelve hours ago we were fighting a hoard of Grimm after crashing through the ground on a runaway train. What you need is rest." Yang's right. After the day we had sleep should be the only thing on my mind. However, sleep is the last thing I want right now.

"I can't." I say. I keep my back towards her. "I can't even think about closing my eyes right now. Please just let me go." She sighs.

"Okay, fine." She says. "But I'm going with you."

"Yang, I just want to be alone." I say. "And you're exhausted, you should go back to sleep."

"Right, like I could sleep knowing my partner was wandering around upset in the middle of the night." she walks passed me out into the hallway. "What are you waiting for, let's go get some of that fresh air you need." I sigh and follow her out of the room. I don't feel like fighting her on this, and even if I did, I would still lose.

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We make our way out of the building and walk in silence around the dimly lit campus. There's a small chill in the night air, but it feels good against my skin. Yang doesn't push me to talk, which surprises me. I can tell she wants to ask me questions, but she lets me have my peace and quiet. It's different from what I'm used to.

When I was with Adam, he would basically force me to talk to him, even when I desperately wanted to keep something to myself. Or he would be completely opposite and refuse to discuss certain things, no matter how important they were. It was always one or the other with him. No middle ground.

I notice that I'm no longer shaking or crying, and my breathing has normalized. I'm actually glad Yang came with me. I feel more relaxed having someone watching my back. We walk for a while longer, until we reach a grassy hill that overlooks Beacon. Yang sits down on the grass and stretches.

"Let's take a little break. Okay." She says. I sit down next to her and sigh. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah." I say truthfully. "Thanks for coming with me. I needed to clear my head."

"No problem." She says. As we sit I think about the dream that had forced me from my bed. It was more a memory than a dream.

"It was about my parents." The words spill from my mouth before I can think about it. "The dream I had. It was a memory about my parents." I can't believe I was telling Yang this. I hadn't meant to.

"Must have been a bad memory." She says.

"The worst." I say. "It was something I hadn't thought about in a long time. Something I tried hard to bury."

"What unburied it?" she asks.

"Yesterday. When we crashed into the middle of town. All the people that were there started screaming. Those scream. They reminded me of…." I can't finish. I can't bring myself to tell her what happened all those years ago.

"I've never heard you talk about your parents before." She says. "Ruby and I talk about ours all the time, and Weiss complains about hers now and then, but you never mentioned yours before."

"They…. They both died when I was five…. I don't remember much about them." I say. My chest aches from sadness. Even after all these years the pain of losing them hasn't gotten any better.

"I'm so sorry Blake. I know how hard it is to lose a parent." I look over at Yang. I see real hurt in her eyes, not just for her own loss, but for mine as well.

"Thank you." I whisper. She smiles.

"What's your happiest memory of them?" she asks.

"What?" her question surprises me. I was expecting her to ask me how they died, not this.

"You heard me." she say.

"I… well. Like I said I don't remember much about them. Sometime I can't even remember what they looked like."

"Come on, you have to have at least one good memory." She says.

"Their laughter." I speak without thinking again.

"Their laughter?"

"Yes, I remember they were always laughing." I smile. "My mom was a wolf Faunus, and my dad was a cat Faunus, so they clashed a lot, but not in a bad way. They would tease each other, but they always had a smile on their face and it always ended in laughter."

"Sounds like fun."

"It was. We were always poor. We didn't always have a place to live. But that never stopped them from being happy." I say. "They would sit and read to me every evening, and when we couldn't afford books, my mom would make up stories to tell me."

"She sounds amazing." says Yang.

"She was, they both were." I turn to Yang. "I've never talked about my parents to anyone before. This is the first time since they died."

"Why?" she asks.

"I don't know. I guess because it hurts to think about them. And I never really had anyone to talk to before." I say.

"I get that." she says. "When Ruby's mom died, she didn't want to think about her because it made her cry. So I started reminding her about all the happy times we had with her, and soon she stop crying and started smiling whenever she thought about her."

"And that's what you just did for me."

"Yep." She says with a proud look on her face.

"Thank you." I say. "I didn't even realize I remembered that much until I started talking."

"It's better to think about the happy stuff, that's what they would want." She says. "And Blake. You may not have had anyone to talk to before, but you do now. Me, Ruby, and even Weiss, we're all here for you. You don't have to do things on your own anymore."

"I'm starting to realize that." I say. "But you're going to have to be patient, this is all pretty new to me. And you might have noticed that I'm not that great at talking."

"I can be patient, it's not like I'm going anywhere." She smile. "You're stuck with me whether you like it or not."

"I think I can handle that." I say.

"Good. Now what do you say we head back to the dorms, do you think you can sleep?" she asks.

"Yeah, I think I'll be alright now."

"That's good. We need to get some rest. Ozpin scheduled that assemble before breakfast in the morning. Who knows what craziness he's going to drop on us." She says.

"It's probably about what happened yesterday with the train." I say.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." We talk as we make our way back to the room. When we get back we quietly crawl into our beds and say goodnight. Exhaustion hits me as I lay down. It's after four in the morning, and we have to get up before long. But I don't mind. I feel good. Lighter. Better than I thought I could feel after a nightmare like that. I would never have guessed that simply talking to someone would make me feel better. I could really get used to having friends.

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 **I hope you guys enjoyed this! Please leave a review and tell me what you think, and I'll update soon.**

 **-Rin Veil**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the reviews! I was asked about pairings, and to answer your question, I haven't decided on any pairings yet. (Suggestions are more than welcomed, just leave a review and tell me what you'd like to see.) But for at least the next few chapters I plan on focusing more on developing the story. I hope you guys keep reading and enjoy what comes next.**

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Yang's POV

"I just don't see why Ozpin is doing this to us!" Weiss complains as she, Ruby, Blake, and I walk to Beacon's assembly hall. The early morning sunrise lights up the hallway, making everything look golden.

"Stop whining." I say. "It's not that bad."

"I am not Whining. I'm making a valid point. How does Ozpin expect us to perform well in our studies if he doesn't allow us to get enough sleep." Says Weiss. "Especially after everything we've had to deal with in the last few days. Did he forget that we spent nearly two days straight fighting Grimm from Mountain Glenn all the way back to Beacon. And don't even get me started on Torchwick and the White Fang."

"It's not just about us Weiss, every student in Beacon is required to attend this assembly. And after yesterday, I'm sure everyone has a lot of questions." Says Blake. I look over at her. She looks pretty well rested and relaxed, considering what happened last night. She was seriously freaked out. Hell I was freaked out. In the six months I had known her, that was the first time I'd seen her that upset.

You get to know a person pretty fast when you're together almost twenty-four seven. But after watching Blake have that nightmare and hearing her talk a little about her parents, I realized I know almost nothing about her. Does that make me a lousy partner? I mean, Blake knows almost everything about me.

"Yang?" Blake says with a raised eyebrow. "You okay."

"Yeah, just thinking." I say.

"About what?" asks Ruby, she twirls around and starts walking backwards so she can face me.

"I was thinking about what Ozpin is going to say." I lie smoothly.

"Yeah, me too!" says Ruby. "It must be important if he want to talk to everyone this early"

"See! Even Ruby thinks it's too early, and she's always up before anyone." says Weiss.

"I didn't say it was _too_ early. In fact, I'm glad we're having the assembly first thing in the morning!" says Ruby. Weiss looks at Ruby like she's crazy.

"Glad? How can you be glad?"

"Well if what Ozpin has to say is that important then I want to know as soon as possible." Says Ruby.

"That's actually a really good point." Says Blake. Ruby smiles.

"And that's why I'm the leader." She says proudly. Weiss rolls her eyes and grumbles to herself. I laugh. Weiss glares at me, but doesn't get a chance to make a remark as we enter the crowded assembly hall. We go to sit in some seats in the back, but we're stopped by Goodwitch.

"Team RWBY." She calls to us. She has a frown on her face. "If you would please follow me."

"What? Why?" asks Ruby.

"Professor Ozpin wants the four of you sitting upfront by the stage." She says. We glance nervously at each other.

"Can we ask why?" says Weiss. Goodwitch's frown deepens and she sighs.

"You'll find out soon enough." She says, then turns and starts leading us to the front of the room.

"That doesn't sound good." I say as we slowly start to follow her.

"She does seem upset about something." Says Blake. Weiss nods in agreement.

"I'm sure everything will be fine guys. It's not like we did anything wrong." Says Ruby.

"Do you not remember the train that exploded into the middle of town yesterday?" asks Weiss.

"But that wasn't our fault. And we helped save everyone from the Grimm." Says Ruby. I smile at my little sister's optimism.

"Ruby's right you guys." I say. "We did pretty well the other day. I'm sure we don't have anything to worry about."

"I suppose you're right. Besides, we really don't have control over what will happen, so it's pointless to worry about it." says Blake with a neutral expression on her face.

"Whatever, let's just get this over with." Says Weiss. Goodwitch leads us to the very first row and we take our seats. She gives us a nod and heads up onto the stage. She approaches the podium and clears her throat.

"If everyone could please be quiet and take their seat, Professor Ozpin is ready to make his announcement." Says Goodwitch. All the students quickly end their conversations and silence spreads throughout the assembly hall. Ozpin appears on stage and takes his place front and center. His sharp gaze cuts across the room for a few moments, than he begins to speak.

"Students of Beacon. I'm sure you are all wondering why I have called such an early meeting. And I'm sure many of you have guessed that it has to do with the incident that happened yesterday." Ozpin pauses for a moment. "You would be partially correct in assuming that. I will put an end to any other assumptions and get right to the point.

The attack on Vale could have been much worse, we were lucky no one died. However, as Huntsmen and Huntresses, we do not rely on luck. We rely on skills, knowledge, and preparedness. This attack has been a wakeup call for all the nations. It is not something we can stand to let happen again. Collectively, the four kingdoms of Remnant are pouring their resources into researching the goals behind this attack and fortifying their defenses in order to insure the safety of the citizens.

Since so much effort is being put towards this endeavor, and also because of concern for everyone's wellbeing. The four kingdoms, as a group, have decided to postpone the Vytal festival and tournament until the end of the summer." The room erupts with sounds of protest.

"The end of summer?! But that's almost six months from now!" exclaims Ruby. I look at her. Her face full of shock and disappointment. I don't blame her. The festival had only been a few weeks away, and we had all been prepared for the tournament. Now we have to wait almost half a year!

"That's enough." Says Ozpin, his authoritative tone is quick to silence everyone. "I know you are all disappointed. But you need to view this development as the Huntsmen and Huntresses you are training to be. The safety of the people should be your first priority. The festival could very well be a target for another attack.

Every option was explored, and this course of attack was by far the wisest. So until we know for sure who was behind the attack, and until we can without a doubt guarantee everyone's safety, the festival cannot take place. Meanwhile, consider this an opportunity. You have been given six more months to prepare yourself for the tournament. I suggest you don't waste it. Use the rest of this semester to make yourself stronger. And don't lose your resolve during the summer semester. As you know, you will have less than half the classes and workload during the summer. So it will be up to you to remain on track with your training. Use your free time wisely."

"Ozpin's right!" I whisper to my teammates. "We'll be at least ten times as strong by the end of summer."

"Quiet." Weiss hushes me. I turn back to the stage and continue to listen.

"There is one more thing I would like to address." Says Ozpin. "Team RWBY. Please come up on stage." My heart starts pounding. I look at my team as we hesitantly stand and slowly walk onto the stage. What the hell is Ozpin going to do? We line up beside Ozpin and try to look confident as he continues to talk to the crowd.

"There were many different signs leading up to the attack yesterday." He says. "Crime was up. Massive amounts of dust and technology were being stolen, the group known as the White Fang was far more active, and many other incidents were indicators that something was not right. Sadly, these signs were ignored and no action was taken to investigate and connect these crime. Everyone dismissed it all as coincidence. Everyone except the four young women standing beside me." My eyes go wide as I see Ozpin pointing to us.

"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long saw these events for what they were and took action, putting those of us in charge to shame. They discovered the criminals base of operation, took out the man in charge, and most of those working for him, minimizing the severity of the attack. They continued by fighting the Grimm that came through, saving the lives of many citizens. They acted like Huntresses, putting others above themselves. And with such action, there is reward.

Though team RWBY is only a first year team, they proved themselves ready to take on more responsibility. From now on, team RWBY will have complete access to all second year missions and the privileges that come with that." the crowd starts clapping for us as I try to process what is happening. Ozpin turns to us and smiles. "Congratulations." He says. Goodwitch then steps up.

"Thank you all for your time and patience. You may now return to your daily routine." She says. The crowd starts to leave as we continue to stand awkwardly on the stage.

"Team RWBY." Says Ozpin. "If you would follow me to my office, I would like to speak with you further on this matter." As we follow Ozpin and Goodwitch, we talk among ourselves.

"What the heck just happened?" I ask.

"I have no idea." Says Blake.

"Isn't it odviouis." Says Ruby, who looks absolutely thrilled. "Ozpin thinks we're too awesome to be first year students so we're getting an upgrade!"

"We're still going to be first year students you idiot, we're just going to be doing the work of second year students." Says Weiss.

"It's still a good thing though, right? Why do you guys look so worried?" Asks Ruby.

"It's not that we're worried, it's more like we're in shock." Says Blake. "I really didn't think we did anything worth getting rewarded over."

"Yeah, I really didn't see this coming." I say.

"You shouldn't be so surprised." Says Ozpin. I look up and see that we have arrived at Ozpin's office and that he's listening to our conversation. "Though Miss Belladonna is right, your actions don't exactly merit a reward. You should not expect a reward for merely doing you duty."

"Then why _are_ we getting rewarded?" I ask.

"Think of it less as a reward, and more as a necessity." He says.

"What do you mean?" asks Weiss.

"The four of you have shown more than once that your skill level is above that of a first year student. Your performance yesterday only made this more apparent." He says. "The fact of the matter is that all of the first year missions would do nothing to challenge you. And if you cannot be challenged, you cannot learn anything new or grow as warriors. And that is simply not acceptable."

"So besides the difficulty level of the missions, what else will change?" asks Blake.

"Yeah, you said something about privileges." Says Ruby.

"A few things will be different." Says Ozpin. "The missions you will go on will test your abilities, they will take longer to complete, and you will be required to do more missions than before while still keeping up with your classes. You will also be doing these missions alone. You will not have a Huntsmen escorting you like the rest of the first year students. You will only have each other to rely on."

"That sounds…. Intense." Says Weiss. I look over at her. Though her words sound hesitant, her face does little to hide her excitement. Her and Ruby are more alike than she would care to admit.

"It will be. But, I'm more than confident that you can handle it." says Ozpin. "Oh, and you will also get paid for completing your missions."

"What? We get paid? As is money?" I blurt out.

"Of course. All second year missions and above are paid jobs. You will be doing the work of a Huntresses, so you will be compensated as one." He says.

"This is so awesome! I can't wait for our first mission." Says Ruby.

"Good." Says Ozpin. "Because I have your first mission right here. You'll leave in an hour."

"Really?! So soon?" I ask.

"Yes. This mission is fairly close by, so if you are unable to complete it, help might arrive in time to save you. But the mission is urgent and you must leave as soon as possible." He says.

"We're totally ready!" says Ruby. "We'll do this mission no problem."

"We shall see." He says. "Glynda, would you please give team RWBY the mission details." Goodwitch approaches us, looking very unhappy.

"For the record, I would like to state again that I am against this." she says. "They are first year students and have only been on one mission before, and they had an escort. We should not be allowing this."

"You're concern is noted. Now would you please brief them on their mission so that they can be on their way." Says Ozpin. Goodwitch sighs and shakes her head.

"You will be going to an area just a few miles outside the city. A horde of Beowolves were spotted and are headed towards the city. You are to go there and eradicate them." She says. "I know each of you can easily kill a Beowolf. However, with a group this large their numbers can quickly overwhelm you. Remember, even the weakest opponent can be unstoppable if there is enough of them. Please be careful, and keep each other safe."

"We will." Says Ruby, her face and body language completely serious.

"There's an airship at the docks waiting to drop you off. When you've finished your mission, use your scroll to call it back to pick you up." Says Ozpin. "You're dismissed." With nothing left to say, we quickly leave his office and head for our lockers to prepare for our mission. I can't stop the excitement from building in me.

"This is going to be great! It's all happening so fast, it's amazing. Uncle Crow would be so proud." says Ruby as we collect our gear.

"Yeah, I can't wait to kick some Grimm butt." I say.

"I have to admit that this is exhilarating." Says Weiss. "I've never heard of any first year students getting an opportunity like this before. It could be extremely beneficial to our careers as Huntresses." As we finish getting our weapons, I can't help but notice that one of the members of team RWBY is being awfully quiet.

"What do you think about all this Blake?" I ask. Her demeanor is serious and focused as she loads Gambol Shroud.

"I think Weiss is right. This is a game changing opportunity that we shouldn't pass up or take for granted." She says.

"I'm sensing a but." I say. She hesitates for a moment before speaking.

"Have any of you ever seen a horde of Grimm before?" asks Blake.

"I think we've all gone up against some pretty big group of Grimm before." Says Weiss.

"Yeah, I've faced more than twenty Beowolves by myself before. It was easy." Says Ruby.

"A horde isn't twenty. It's hundreds. It's a sea of death charging at you. You feel as if there is no beginning and no end." Says Blake.

"I'm guessing you've seen Grimm hordes before." I say.

"Yes." she says.

"When did that happen?" asks Weiss.

"I lived most of my life outside the kingdoms. Hordes of Grimm were not uncommon." Says Blake. "I've seen entire villages destroyed in seconds, and skilled fighters be taken down by the Grimm's vast numbers in just minutes. One second they were by my side, and the next, they were gone." Blake has a faraway look on her face. I can tell she's being pulled away by a dark memory. I want to say something to comfort her, but I've never lost a friend in battle, so I'm at a loss for words.

"You don't think we can do it?" asks Ruby, who is suddenly very concerned.

"I didn't say that." says Blake. "I think we have what it takes as a team to not only survive, but to succeed. But it won't be easy. We have to be careful. One wrong move could be fatal."

"Then we won't make any wrong moves." Says Ruby. "We'll watch each others backs and take them down one at a time until they're all dead."

"Sounds like a plan to me." I say.

"It seems a little simplistic." Says Weiss.

"I think it's better if it's not too complex." Says Blake. "As long as we stay calm and focused we should be fine."

"Then let's do this." says Ruby. "That airship won't wait forever, and the Grimm are getting closer as we speak."

We race to the docks and board the airship. The pilot takes off without a word, and we're on our way before we know it. We don't speak. We each sit quietly and mentally prepare ourselves for the battle ahead. After about thirty minutes in the air, Ruby's scroll starts to beep.

"This is our drop point." She yells over the roar of the wind. "It's not safe for the pilot to land so we have to jump. The Grimm should be about a mile away from where we land." We walk to the back of the air ship to jump, but stop dead in our tracks.

"Oh my god." Says Weiss.

"What the hell is that?" I say. Out in the distance the ground is alive with a huge mass of darkness, withering in a painful dance.

" _That_ is a Grimm Horde." Says Blake. My confidence wavers, and I feel sick.

"There's at least three hundred Beowolves down there." says Ruby.

"How are we supposed to kill all of those things?" asks Weiss.

"Easy." Says Ruby as she unfolds Crescent Rose. "As a team." Without a second thought, Ruby jumps from the air ship and in front of the oncoming horde.

"That impulsive idiot." Weiss yells, then jumps down after her. I turn to Blake and smile.

"Guess there's no turning back now, is there." I say.

"Guess not." She says with a slight smirk.

"Hear goes nothing." I say. We both jump, and after a couple seconds of falling, we land on the ground next to Ruby and Weiss. The ground trembles as the Grimm barrel towards us. The dark wall of fur and teeth getting closer with every passing second. I look up and watch the airship quickly fade into the distance.

"Looks like we're on our own now." I say.

"We're not on our own." Says Ruby. "We got each other."

"I just hope that's enough." Says Weiss.

"It has to be." says Blake. We ready our weapons, face the enemy, and wait for Ruby's signal. When the Beowolves are less than a hundred yards away, Ruby nods her head, and we charge into battle.

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 **Hope you guys liked this chapter. PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW! I'd love to hear what you guys think and any suggestions that you might have.**

 **-Rin Veil**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks so much for the reviews! I love getting feedback, it always helps me make a better story. I hope you all like this next chapter. It's a little shorter than my last one, but the next chapter will be done sooner.**

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Ruby's POV

Beowolves aren't the strongest Grimm out there, especially when they're young. I've taken down dozens of Beowolves by myself in less than five minutes, and I wasn't even out of breath. Three hundred wasn't that much more than a few dozen, plus there was four of us. So I wasn't worried. Even when I saw the horde of Grimm racing towards me. I knew it'd be challenging, but my team and I could easily kill a bunch of young Beowolves. At least, that's what I thought.

I was so confident when I signaled for us to attack. I ran head first into the wall of Grimm, swinging Crescent Rose out in front of me. I could hear the sound of my teammate's weapons clashing against bone as they cut into the Beowovles. More than twenty Grimm fell dead with our first strike. I smiled. _Easy as pie,_ I thought. But now, my confidence is starting to waver.

The young, mindless Beowolves don't even flinch at the death of their kind. The horde just keeps pushing forward without pause. Within seconds, we're surrounded. The Grimm press so close to us, all I can see is black. I don't even have room to swing my weapon. It's all I can do to dodge the countless teeth and claws desperately trying to tear into me. My stomach knots up with a familiar, and unwelcomed, feeling. Fear.

I try not to let my fear over take me. I try to stay focused, I try to fight. But the never ending wall of Grimm doesn't let up. Their hot breath burns my skin. My weapon is pinned against me, it's the only thing separating me from the Grimm. If I can't move, how can I fight?

I feel something slam against my back. I glance behind me and see Weiss standing back to back with me. She's swinging Myrtenaster so fast, my eyes can't follow it. Grimm fall around her, but more of them quickly take their place. I look to my left and see Blake and Yang fighting just as furiously only a few feet away. As I watch them, I remember something very important, I'm not alone. I have a team I can rely on when I need help. I can do this, _we_ can do this.

"Weiss! I need a little breathing room here." I shout over the deafening howl of Beowolves. Her eyes quickly scan my situation, and without a word she activates her semblance. Glowing glyphs appear around me and every Grimm within a five foot radius is thrown backwards. I lash out without hesitation. I move Crescent Rose faster than I ever have in my life. It takes everything I've got to keep the Grimm from closing in on me again, but I manage to keep them at bay. Barley.

My fear begins to fade and I feel my confidence returning once again. But then hear something, and I'm filled with dread. A scream. A scream full of terror. A scream I know too well. Yang.

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 **Yang's POV**

I'm getting tired. We've been fighting full force, nonstop, for over half an hour. Sweat runs down my face and into my eyes, but I don't have time to wipe it away. I don't dare stop swinging and punching. There's too many Grimm to take a break, even for a second.

A Grimm smashes into my left side, I stagger, but manage to stay upright.

"Carful. Don't let them knock you down." Blake warns me yet again.

She keeps telling me not to let the Beowolves hit me, which is kind of difficult for me. It goes against my fighting style. I've train myself to take a hit, to get knocked down and get right back up. But as Blake pointed out, this situation was different.

If I get knocked down here, the Grimm will quickly overtake me, and I might never get back up. I concentrate on dodging and I fire shot after shot into Grimm. I work hard to stay focused and calm. This won't last forever. We just have to keep fighting and eventually, the Grimm will be gone.

I hear a pained grunt behind me. I forget about everything going on around me, my concern for my partner overwhelming my senses, and I turn to see if Blake is okay. She's grabbing her right side and grinding her teeth in pain, but she's still standing and fighting. I go to ask her if she's okay, but I'm interrupted by a huge weight colliding with me and my feet leave the ground. I completely lost focus. _I let my guard down, I'm so stupid._ That's my last thought before I land flat on my back. The Beowolves immediately take advantage of my vulnerable state. They swarm me. Their crowded mass pushes my body into the ground. I can't breathe, I can't see, I can't think. I've never felt so helpless. I hear a scream. And I realize it's mine.

* * *

 **Blake's POV**

Grimm Swing at me from every angle. I try to dodge them all, but I've been fighting for too long and I've slowed down, so the claws of one Grimm catches me in the side. I jump away as fast as I can, but the damage is done. My aura protects me for the most part, but my levels are getting low, so I take some damage. A strong metallic scent hits my nose. I press my hand to my side and feel warm blood oozing out of the shallow wound. It's not serious, nothing my aura can't heal when this fight is over. I ignore it and focus on the battle at hand.

My cat ears pick up a subtle noise. A soft gasp that any human would've missed. I look over my shoulder, and my eyes widen in horror as I watch Yang fall to the ground and then instantly disappear underneath a wave of Beowolves.

I'm taken back to the past again. The same memory that tried to surface when we were getting our gear from the lockers. That awful moment. When I watched helplessly from the safety of a cliff, as a small caravan of innocent travelers got swallowed by an endless horde of Grimm. I watched mothers and fathers and children scream for help and then disappear. I watched as a group of White Fang members yelled my name, begging me to help them. Men and women that I knew, that I fought side by side with, gone.

I had struggled to help them, to try and save them all, but I couldn't break free from Adam's strong grip. I begged him to let me go, to let me help. He simply looked out at the carnage with emotionless eyes and told me there was nothing we could do, that our helping would do nothing but get us killed along with them. So I watched. I looked on as dozens of people died in one of the most gruesome ways possible. Their cries for help still echo in my ears.

To this day I wonder what would have happened if Adam had let me go, or even helped me try and save them. He might have been right, maybe he saved me from death, but I'll always wonder. That's when I promised myself. Never again. Never again would I let myself wonder _what if._ Next time I would help, no matter what I had to do. No matter the risk, no matter the cost.

Yang's panicked scream brings me back to reality. I look for her but all I see are Grimm. No. This can't happen. I won't let it, not again. Not to anyone, and especially not Yang. My partner, my friend, will not die like this.

I grip Gambol Shroud as tightly as I can and I charge forward. Every moment is crucial to Yang's survival. I don't waste my time killing the Grimm. I just push them out of the way and try to get to the last place I saw Yang as fast as I can.

But it's difficult. With no one to watch my back, the Beowolves easily attack me. I use my semblance to try and protect myself, letting my shadows take the hit for me, but it won't work for long. I need to find Yang before we both are killed.

I see a flash of yellow on the ground just ahead of me. Her long golden locks are unmistakable. My heart pounds against my chest from exhaustion, relief, and fear. Exhaustion from the constant battle, relief that I found her, fear that I might be too late. _Please be alive, please be alive,_ I say over and over again to myself. I can't lose her. Not now, not ever.

I can hardly see her unmoving form, even though I'm standing right next to her. There are just too many Grimm. I swing my blade rapidly to try and clear them away, but more quickly take their place. I need to do something, fast. Every second Yang spends on the ground is deadly. If I don't do anything soon, there won't be anything left to save.

An idea pops into my head. It's stupid, risky, and I would have to put all my faith into my teammates. Which is not an easy thing for me to do. I still struggle with trusting others. But this isn't about me and my issues. This is about saving Yang. I turn towards where I think Ruby and Weiss are.

"Ruby, Weiss! Help." I yell as loud as I can while discharging my weapon into the air to signal our location. Then without thinking, I dive through the Grimm, to the ground, and cover Yang's body with my own.

I instantly feel the crushing pressure of the stampede against my back as I lay face down over Yang. I brace my arms against the ground on either side of her, and try to keep my weight off of her. But the heft of the Grimm on top of me quickly threatens to make my arms buckle. My aura does what it can to protect me, but it's quickly fading, as I take hit after hit.

The beeping noise coming from Yang's scroll tells me that her aura is in the red, but still there, so she's alive. But if I hadn't shielded her when I did, her aura would have completely disappeared and she would have been crushed to death.

"Yang! Yang are you okay?" I scream over the uproar. I look down at her, she's still conscious, and she's using her arms to shield her face. Besides a few cuts and bruises, she seems unharmed. Her chest rises and falls rapidly, her body is shaking with each panicked gasp. I don't think she even realizes I'm here. I don't blame her, being on the ground with the Grimm swarming over us is absolutely disorientating. If I wasn't so focused on Yang, I wouldn't know which way was up. "Yang!" I yell again, but still no response.

My arms finally can't handle the stress and buckle, and I slam into Yang. But my body still covers hers, protecting her. It's just enough to keep her from dying.

I groan in pain as the Grimm continue to tear into my back. My vision blurs with unshed tears and I bite back a scream. My scroll alerts me that my aura is almost gone. I have only seconds left. I won't last long once my aura is depleted. But Yang might live. My body will still serve as some protection to her even after I'm dead. It might buy her enough time until the others can help.

I have so many regrets that haunt me, but this won't be one of them. If my last act on Remnant is saving Yang, I'll die happy. I can't think of a better way to end things.

I feel claws dig into my skin as my aura disintegrates. And then, I feel nothing.

* * *

 **So what did you guys think, are you liking this? Should I keep writing? PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **-Rin Veil**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks to Natural Born Flamer, Cheatengine343, RetardPen, Soren, and NovaltonG14 for the great reviews and advice. I hope you all like this next chapter.**

* * *

Blake's POV

I have so many regrets that haunt me, but this won't be one of them. If my last act on Remnant is saving Yang, I'll die happy. I can't think of a better way to end things.

I feel claws dig into my skin as my aura disintegrates. And then, I feel nothing.

The pain eases, and the harsh pressure that was crushing my body disappears. I feel a cool breeze dance over my skin as I draw fresh air into my lungs. I open my eyes and take in my surroundings. The Grimm are gone, but I still hear them. The sound of their frantic howls continues to reverberate around me, and something else. Another sound mixed in with the chaos. A voice. Yelling for someone. Yelling for me.

"Blake! Blake are you guys okay?" I look to my left. Ruby is kneeling next to me. Her face contorted with worry.

"Ruby...What?" my mind struggles to catch up with the world around me. I'm alive. But how? And Yang. Is she okay? I look down and realize that I'm still lying protectively on top of her. She's still shielding her face from the Grimm that are no longer attacking us. But before I can say anything to her, something else catches my eye. We're floating.

We're suspended in the air, and right beneath us is the horde of Beowolves, jumping and biting at the air, trying to reach us, but failing to by mere inches. I look behind Ruby and see Weiss. She holds Myrtenaster out before her, feelings of determination and concentration are evident on her face, but her body shakes with exhaustion. And I finally grasped what happened.

Weiss and Ruby got to us in time. They must have cleared enough Grimm away to allow Weiss to use one of her glyphs. She was able to place us all on her glyph, above the Grimm and out of harm's way. They saved us. I was reluctant to blindly put my life in their hands, but I was wrong to worry. I've never been so glad to be wrong.

"Is….Is Yang okay?" Ruby asks, she looks at Yang's still form. I slowly move off of Yang, my body aches, but it feels good in a way. It reminds me that I'm alive. I kneel next to Yang with Ruby. Yang looks about as beat up as I feel, but seems fine, more or less. But I can sense the heavy emotions tearing through her mind. She's at war with herself. That's something I can understand. But I'm not sure Ruby will.

"Ruby, go check on Weiss while I get Yang up on her feet." I say.

"Weiss is fine, I want…"

"Ruby, Please. Let me do this." I say, interrupting her. I look her in the eye, silently begging her to trust me. I can tell she wants to stay with her sister, and that she doesn't understand why I want her to leave. But I also can see that she trusts me completely, not just with her life, but with her sister's. She has zero doubt that I will do what is best for Yang. I wish I could trust like her. Maybe one day, with this teams help, I can.

"Okay." Says Ruby. "Just hurry." She stands and walks over a few feet away next to Weiss. I turn my attention to Yang. I grab her arms and pull them away from her face. She doesn't put up much of a fight, which surprises me. Her eyes are shut tightly, as if she is trying to block out the world forever. I remember a moment in my life when I did the exact same thing. The world around me had torn into me so much that I tried to hide inside of myself. Adam was there to snap me out of it, with a swift punch to my face. It had worked, but I would never do that to Yang. I won't follow in Adam's footsteps. Not for anything.

"Yang." I say. "Yang you have to get up." She doesn't move. I lean in close to her and gently put my hands on the sides of her face. I rest my forehead against hers. "Please Yang. You need to get up and fight. Not just for us, but for yourself. If you don't get up you'll never forgive yourself, trust me. Besides, this isn't you, you don't quit in the middle of a fight. You see it through to the very end. You never run away. Unlike me.

I always want to run away. But not you. You're brave, and you always stay. And that makes me want to stay, to be better. _You_ make me want to be better. You make me believe that someday, I can be strong enough to stop running. So you can't stop giving me that hope Yang. Please Yang. We need you. I need you. Don't give up."

"Never." A shaky but firm voice echoes in my ears. My eyes snap open, and Yang's lilac orbs look back into mine. They're full of tears and emotions, one of those emotions being her trademark strength that I have come to know so well. "I will never give up. How can I when I got a partner like you to back me up." Her voice gets stronger as she speaks. I lean away from her and smile. Relief washes over me.

"Good to have you back." I say. She slowly sits up, wincing slightly.

"Good to be back." She says, then looks away from me in shame. "I'm sorr…"

"Don't. Don't even think about it. You didn't do anything wrong." I say.

"But I totally just…"

"No buts, no apologies." I say, interrupting her again.

"Can you at least let me explain?" asks Yang, desperate for me to understand what happened. She doesn't see that I already do. But it would probably help both of us if we talked. Unfortunately, that would have to wait.

"You can tell me everything once we get back to Beacon. But right now we have some Grimm to take care of." I say as I stand up. I offer Yang a hand. "What do you say partner, how about some payback?" Yang smiles and takes my hand. I pull her to her feet.

"That sounds prefect." She says.

"You two okay now?" yells Ruby.

"Never better sis." Says Yang. I watch her. I can see a storm brewing behind her eyes. There's still something bothering her, but she's fighting to contain it. She'll have to confront it later, but for now, she needs to bury it. Because this is the life we chose.

"That's great. I'm _so_ happy for the both of you." Yells Weiss, her body shakes as she strains to keep her glyph active. "Now if everyone's done taking a nap on my glyph, I would like to stop before I completely drain my aura."

"You guys good?" asks Ruby. Yang gives her a thumbs up and I ready my weapon. "Okay. This time we stay together, the four of us. Our auras are low, so we have to be careful. But, we've already killed more than half of the horde. We can do this. Just keep killing, don't think about anything else. Fight and don't stop until every Grimm is dead."

With that, Weiss waves her weapon and the Glyph vanishes. We drop to the ground among the Grimm, killing several as we land. I can feel the focus of my team, as we think of nothing but the Grimm right in front of us. Killing them one after another as they crawl over the bodies of their fallen.

My body screams at me to stop, to rest. The only things keeping me going is adrenaline, the will to survive, and the support of my team. My friends. The people who count on me as much as I count on them. With them, I feel that anything is possible.

* * *

 **Weiss's POV**

It's always been difficult for me to focus on what's right in front of me. I've always been one to plan ahead. But I try to listen to what Ruby said, and I just focus on killing the Grimm that's right before me. I force myself not to think about how many Grimm are waiting to take the place of the next one I kill. If I do, I'll become too overwhelmed to think clearly. So I don't think, I fight. I stab and slash and kill. Over and over. I ignore my exhaustion and push forward, because stopping isn't an option we have.

I'm not sure how long we continue fighting. It's all a blur of teeth and fur. It feels like we've been fighting for so long, yet somehow, not long enough. It happens suddenly. I behead the Beowolf in front of me, as it falls I quickly lash out to stab the next one. But the only thing my weapon meets is air. I feel confused for a moment as I see no Grimm ahead of me. In fact, I don't see any Grimm anywhere.

I look behind me and see that my teammates have come to the same conclusion. They all breathe heavily as they scan the area for anymore threats. Their weapons are at the ready, as if they don't quite believe that it's over. I don't blame them. I honestly can't believe it either. I think deep down I didn't truly believe we could do it.

"Hurray! We did it." yells Ruby, with far more energy than a person should have after a fight like that.

"Damn right we did It." says Yang, then promptly falls to the ground. Blake smiles at her partner's antics. Both of them look a little worse for wear. I had actually been really worried about them when I pulled them out of the Grimm. Neither of them were moving, and for a brief moment, I thought they were dead. Which devastated me far more than I thought it would.

"So now what?" I say. My mind had been so focused on the Grimm I feel a little disorientated now that we killed them all. At the time, it felt like it would never end.

"Sleep." Mumbles Yang.

"As great as that sounds, I think resting back at Beacon would be better than sleeping among a bunch of decomposing Grimm." I say.

"Oh Yeah! I got to call the airship back to give us a ride home." Says Ruby. Ruby sends a quick message from her scroll them plops down next to Yang. "That was awesome."

"That's not the word I would use." I say.

"I have to agree." Says Blake.

"That was pretty intense." Says Yang.

"Yeah it was hard and scary, but we did it." says Ruby. "We just killed a huge horde of Grimm and none of us died. If that's not awesome, I don't know what is." a laugh escapes my mouth.

"I must be beyond tired, because Rudy is making a lot of sense." I say.

"Wow. Weiss agreeing with Ruby. That is awesome." Says Yang. I don't say anything back to my smart mouthed teammate. I don't have the energy. And part of me is too happy to get angry. I know it's probably just the adrenaline from the battle that's making me feel like this, but I still feel great. This was the most difficult fight I ever fought. And I won. We won. It took everything we had, but we did it.

From the moment I told my father that I wanted to be a Huntress, he told me I couldn't do it, that I was too weak. I constantly told him that he was wrong, but deep down, I believed him. I was never strong, not like my father or my sister. My father constantly reminded me of that. And more than once, I had thought about giving up on becoming a Huntress. But I was too stubborn. I wanted to prove to my father that I was as strong as him. No, stronger. But I never stopped doubting myself. Until now.

Right now, for the first time. I feel strong. I finally feel like I can actually do this. I can not only be a Huntress, but I can be one of the best. I can fight until I have nothing left, and then keep on fighting. My father was wrong. He was wrong about a lot of things. I can't let his words hold me back anymore.

We won a fight I didn't think we could win. And I would have done better if I had believed in myself, and in my team. Well, it's time I stop doubting. I now know the truth. I _will_ be a Huntress, and no one will stop me.

"The airship is almost here." Says Blake. I look around, but I don't see anything. I look at Blake and see that her bow is twitching. She ears picking up the sound of the engines before any of us can see it, let alone hear it. We all keep our eyes on the horizon, and soon the ship comes into view. Ruby sighs and picks herself up off the ground.

"Come on guys. Let's go home."

* * *

 **I really hope everyone liked this chapter. If you have any thoughts or if there's anything you'd like to see in the next chapter leave a review and let me know. I love me some feedback.**

 **-Rin Veil**


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